Recommended Treatment Will usually go away on its own, as the complex life cycle of the fluke can not be completed in an aquarium. Otherwise, a five minute freshwater bath followed by formalin @ 75 ppm for one hour. Formalin is dangerous to use, so treat ONLY is a hospital tank, and wear gloves and goggles when handling.

Chilodonella Scientific Name : Chilodonella sp. Common Name : none Symptoms : Fish has a grey-white film of excess mucus covering its body. Gills may be swollen. Organism : Ciliated protozoan

Recommended Treatment Treat with .15 ppm malachite green and .50 ppm formalin. Dosage is given three times, two days apart .2 ppm methylene blue should be added to the treatment if respiratory distress is evident. This is a very contagious disease, so be careful not to spread it by using contaminated nets and hands in other aquaria. Keep temperature at 24°c.

Recommended Treatment No effective treatment. Remove affected fish to quarantine tank and give the best possible food and water quality.

Eye Fungus Scientific Name : varies according to fungal species Common Name : eye fungus Symptoms : Eyes may appear to have a white coating. Organism : saprophytic fungi

Recommended Treatment A mixture of Potassium dichromate and Silver Nitrate works the best. This is available through Aquatronics as Eye-Fungex. First, one is painted on the infected area, then the other. Follow directions on package.

Fish Louse Scientific Name : Argulus sp. Common Name : Fish louse Symptoms : The flat, somewhat rounded parasites can be seen crawling over the skin of the infected fish. Organism : Parasitic crustacea

Recommended Treatment Dylox at a dose of .75 ppm. This dose is repeated three times, three days apart.

ON USING COPPER: For several diseases listed , copper is mentioned as the treatment of choice (TOC) or as an alternate treatment. When speaking of copper, I am referring to citrated copper (ex: Sea Cure). At NO time should you be using heavily bonded or chelated coppers, as they are NOT as effective against the disease, and you can not measure the amount of copper in your system. Heavily bonded coppers are also much more difficult to remove from your system once the treatment is finished. In order for copper to be effective against a given disease, it must be in the ionic form, and heavily bonded coppers do not meet this parameter. The use of copper also suppresses the immune system for a time, so be aware of any bacterial infections that may set in. Feeding Tetra medicated food for bacterial problems is a good idea during copper treatment. Be careful when dosing copper in freshwater aquaria as the low pH levels usually found in freshwater aquaria make the copper extremely toxic. Once treatment is finished, remove the copper from the system by doing water changes and adding PolyFilters to the filter system. If you are treating in a hospital tank, allow the fish to recuperate from the treatment for two days before adding it to your display tank. Also remember to remove any chemical filtrants before using ANY medication. All treatments herein assume that the fishes will be treated in a hospital tank. Certain medications (antibiotics, methylene blue) will disrupt biological filtration. If you must treat in your display tank, keep a close watch out for a rise in ammonia.

ON METHYLENE BLUE: Some of the treatments require the addition of 2 ppm methylene blue. This is done in cases where gill damage may be present, as methylene blue acts as an oxygen carrier, easing the stress on the fish.

Flexibacter Scientific Name : Flexibacter spp. Common Name : mouth “fungus” Symptoms : Off-white marks around the mouth. As the infection spreads, white cottony tufts may appear in the mouth region, along with reulcers on the body and frayed fins. Fish may “shimmy” and go off feed. Organism : bacterial infection, poor water quality

Recommended Treatment Neomycin sulphate @ 250 mg/gallon. This antibiotic is affective against a wide range of gram+ and gram- bacteria. Improve water quality.

Lernia Scientific Name : Lernia sp. Common Name : Anchor Worm Symptoms : “Worm” is seen on the body of the fish. Usually it is a female that is seen, with her two egg sacs on the rear of the parasite. Organism : Parasitic crustacean

Recommended Treatment Remove parasite with tweezers, and paint the wound with tincture of iodine. In ponds, Dylox, at a dose of .75ppm repeated every two days for three treatments, is advised.

Pop Eye Scientific Name : varies with organism Common Name : pop-eye Symptoms : One or both eyes may protrude from their sockets. Organism : bacterial/parasitic infection, poor water quality, gas supersaturation.

Recommended Treatment Neomycin sulphate @ 250mg/gallon. This antibiotic is affective against a wide range of gram+ and gram- bacteria. Improve water quality, and make sure pumps are not sucking in air on the suction side.

Skin Fungus Scientific Name : varies according to fungal species Common Name : skin fungus, body fungus Symptoms : tufts present on fins or body, usually around open wounds. Organism : saprophytic fungi

Recommended Treatment A mixture of Potassium dichromate and Silver Nitrate works the best. This is available through Aquatronics as Eye-Fungex. First, one is painted on the infected area, then the other. Follow directions on package.

Velvet Scientific Name : Very small white speckles on fish. Resembles a fine powder.

Recommended Treatment There are many commercially available products to cure Velvet. Among them are Maracide by Mardel Laboratories and Super Velvet by Aquatronics.

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